The “Crown” has a long history representing Japan
Toyota’s representative “Crown” is currently in its 16th generation, but the first generation was launched in 1955, and the brand will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2025. The 1964 Toyopet Crown seen at the Se-no-Moto Grand Prix 2024 was a non-restored car that still retains its original appearance. How did this car survive and why did the young Mr. Nishino come to own it? We asked him about the story.
I am interested in old vehicles with simple structures
On May 5, 2024, Children’s Day, at the Senomoto Grand Prix 2024 held at Senomoto Highlands in Aso County, Kumamoto Prefecture, a very young-looking man was chatting with visitors next to an old Crown. I thought it was unlikely, so I called out to him, and my hunch was proven correct. Mr. Nishino, the owner of the Crown, is 21 years old, born in 2003. He is a digital native who has been enjoying SNS on his smartphone for as long as he can remember. Why did he choose this vehicle?
“When I was in high school, I developed an awareness that old cars were cool, but I was not familiar with cars. But when I was old enough to actually get my driver’s license and thought about what I wanted to drive, I came to the conclusion that I wanted a car that had the minimum necessary systems and that I could drive for a long time.”
He was not surrounded by car enthusiasts, including his parents. For this reason, his family calls him a “mutant. It was the tractor that he has been using at home for many years that made Mr. Nishino aware of old vehicles.
“My family is a dual-use farmer, and from a young age I saw old tractors and other machines, and I had the sense that simple machines were cool. I thought that if the machine was not electronically controlled, but had a system of wires and linkages that connected the various parts of the machine, I could physically manage the machine and ride it forever.
As a result, after obtaining his license, he borrowed money from his parents and purchased a 1966 Toyota 3rd generation “Corona. Mr. Nishino’s father had owned a 5th generation Corona 1600GL a long time ago, and he tried to find it, but as expected, he could not find it. After consulting with a local acquaintance with old car connections, he learned that a 3rd generation Corona was for sale, so he acquired that unit and used it in his daily life.
translated by DeepL